October 31, 2013

October 03, 2013

September 11, 2013

Practice Areas

Education

J.D., University of South Carolina School of Law, 1971

B.A., University of South Carolina, 1966

South Carolina

Ronald L. Motley Founding Member (1944 - 2013)

Ron Motley fought for greater justice, accountability and recourse, and has been widely recognized as one of America’s most accomplished and skilled trial lawyers. During a career that spanned more than four decades, his persuasiveness before a jury and ability to break new legal and evidentiary ground brought to justice two once-invincible giant industries whose malfeasance took the lives of millions of Americans — asbestos and tobacco. Armed with a combination of legal and trial skills, personal charisma, nose-to-the-grindstone hard work and record of success, Ron built Motley Rice into one of the nation’s largest plaintiffs’ law firms.

Noted for his role in spearheading the historic litigation against the tobacco industry, Ron served as lead trial counsel for 26 State Attorneys General in the lawsuits. His efforts to uncover corporate and scientific wrongdoing resulted in the Master Settlement Agreement, the largest civil settlement in U.S. history and in which the tobacco industry agreed to reimburse states for smoking-related health care costs.

In 2002, Ron once again advanced cutting-edge litigation as lead counsel for the 9/11 Families United to Bankrupt Terrorism with a lawsuit filed by more than 6,500 family members, survivors and those who lost their lives in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The suit seeks justice and ultimately bankruptcy for al Qaeda’s financiers, including many individuals, banks, corporations and charities that provided resources and monetary aid. He also served as lead counsel in numerous individual aviation security liability and damages cases under the In re September 11 Litigation filed against the aviation and aviation security industries by victims’ families devastated by the security failures of 9/11.

Ron brought the landmark case of Oran Almog v. Arab Bank against the alleged financial sponsors of Hamas and other terrorist organizations in Israel and was a firm leader in the BP Deepwater Horizon litigation and claims efforts involving people and businesses in Gulf Coast communities suffering as a result of the oil spill. Two settlements were reached with BP, and one of which is the largest civil class action settlement in U.S. history.

Ron was a 2011 recipient of the SC Lawyers Weekly Leadership in Law Award and was highlighted in the 2011–2013 Litigation editions of The Legal 500 United States for his work in mass tort and class action: plaintiff representation- toxic tort. The Trial Lawyer Magazine named him as a 2011 member of The Roundtable: America's 100 Most Influential Trial Lawyers. Chambers USA named him in the 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012 editions for his work in product liability and mass torts: plaintiffs, calling him in one edition "an accomplished trial lawyer and a formidable opponent." Recognized as an AV® rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell®, Ron was also selected for inclusion in the South Carolina Super Lawyers® list 2008–2013 and was named numerous times among the "Best of the Best" on the Top 10 South Carolina Super Lawyers list (2008) and Top 25 South Carolina Super Lawyers list (2008, 2009, 2011, 2012). He was included in every edition of the Lawdragon™ 500 Leading Lawyers in America list from 2005–2012 for his work in the plaintiffs' field.

The American Association for Justice (AAJ) elected Ron to be a lifetime member in 2012, and in 2010, awarded him with its highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award. The AAJ also honored Ron in 2007 with the David S. Shrager President's Award for his outstanding contributions to the safety and protection of American consumers and the civil justice system, and in 1998, named him the Harry M. Philo Trial Lawyer of the Year. Ron served on the AAJ Board of Governors from 1977 to 2012 and was chair of its Asbestos Litigation Group from 1978 to 2012.

In 1998, he received the President's Award of the National Association of Attorneys General for his "courage, legal skills and dedication to our children and the public health of our nation." The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids gave him their Youth Advocates of the Year Award in 1999. For his trial achievements, BusinessWeek characterized Ron's courtroom skills as "dazzling." American Lawyer dubbed him "The man who took on Manville," and The National Law Journal ranked him, "One of the most influential lawyers in America."

Published Works:

Ron authored or co-authored more than two dozen publications, including:

"Decades of Deception: Secrets of Lead, Asbestos and Tobacco" (Trial Magazine, October 1999)

Reisig, Robin. "The Man Who Took on Manville" (The American Lawyer, January 1983)

He was licensed in S.C. and was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third, Fourth, Fifth and Eleventh Circuits. In 2002, Ron founded the Mark Elliott Motley Foundation, Inc., in loving memory of his son to help meet the health, education and welfare needs of children and young adults in the Charleston, S.C., community.

Associations:

American Bar Association
Civil Justice Foundation
Inner Circle of Advocates
International Academy of Trial Lawyers
South Carolina Association for Justice

* The Best Lawyers in America® 2012 (Copyright 2011 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, S.C.)

* Please remember that every case is different. Although it endorses this lawyer, The Legal 500 United States is not a Motley Rice client. Any result we achieve for one client in one matter does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.